---
I clutched the file against my chest, heart pounding so loudly I was sure the stranger could hear it.
He stood there.
Silent.
Still.
Like a panther waiting to pounce.
I tried to control my breathing.
In. Out. Calm. You're a professional. A spy. A badass.
The stranger shifted.
Moved closer.
I shrank back instinctively, pressing into the cold metal cabinet.
Another step.
Another.
He was almost close enough to touch me.
I had to act.
Now.
---
BAM!
I burst from behind the cabinet, shoulder-checking the stranger with everything I had.
He stumbled back, but didn't fall.
Big mistake.
Because now that I was face-to-face with him under the emergency red lights…
He was gorgeous.
Raven-black hair.
Sharp, feline green eyes.
Tattoo peeking out from under his collar.
Definitely not a regular student.
Nope.
This guy radiated trouble.
The dangerous, heart-stealing kind.
---
"You're fast for a first-year," he said, voice rough like gravel.
I tightened my grip on the file.
"You're creepy for a stalker," I snapped back.
He smirked.
"Touché."
Then — so fast I barely saw it — he lunged.
I twisted, ducking low, trying to escape.
He caught my hoodie.
Pulled me back.
"Let go!" I hissed, struggling.
His fingers brushed against the hidden file bulge.
He froze.
Eyes narrowed.
He definitely knew.
Crap.
---
Before he could rip it away, I did the only logical thing:
I bit his hand.
Hard.
"OW! YOU LITTLE—!"
He yanked back, cursing under his breath.
I used the opening to sprint for the exit.
Heart pounding.
Adrenaline screaming.
---
12:30 AM — Campus Courtyard
I stumbled out into the open night air, panting.
Somewhere behind me, the mystery guy was probably cursing my entire bloodline.
I didn't care.
I needed to get back to my dorm.
Hide the file.
Act innocent.
Mission survival mode: ON.
---
As I dashed across the courtyard—
THWACK!
I collided — violently — into another brick wall of muscle.
Seriously???
Is this my life now???
Bouncing off hot guys like a deranged pinball???
---
Strong arms caught me before I could fall.
I looked up—
And my stomach dropped.
Blake.
One of the three official MLs.
The "pretty boy" assassin-in-training with deadly reflexes and a permanent smirk.
And right now?
His icy blue eyes were locked on me.
Suspicious.
Dangerous.
And way, way too close.
---
"Running somewhere, Bunny?" Blake asked lazily, calling me by the nickname he had annoyingly decided fit me.
"Exercise," I gasped.
"Midnight cardio. Very healthy."
He tilted his head, like a cat toying with a mouse.
"With a stolen file bulging out of your hoodie?"
I froze.
Oh god.
Why was everyone at this school so freaking observant???
---
Before I could answer, Blake's hand darted out — swift as a snake.
I barely managed to twist away, shoving the file deeper into my hoodie.
"Tsk tsk," he clicked his tongue.
"You're not very good at being subtle, Bunny."
"I'm excellent at being subtle!" I snapped.
Then immediately tripped over my own foot and fell flat on my face.
Smooth.
So smooth.
---
Blake crouched beside me, grinning.
"See? Subtle."
I glared at him from the ground.
"Help me up or I'll scream."
He laughed, the low, rich sound sending shivers down my spine.
"Scream all you want, Pretty Boy. Nobody here cares."
He offered a hand.
I stared at it suspiciously.
Trap?
Probably.
But what choice did I have?
I grabbed it — and he yanked me up easily.
Way too easily.
As if I weighed nothing.
His hands lingered a second too long.
Fingers brushing my wrists.
Electricity crackled between us.
Or maybe that was just my panicked heartbeat.
---
"You're trouble," Blake said softly, eyes glinting.
"I like trouble."
I'm not trouble.
I'm just...
Pretending to be a boy while spying on a mafia-run criminal university and trying not to get murdered.
Normal stuff.
---
1:00 AM — Dorm Room
I slammed the door behind me, chest heaving.
Safe.
For now.
I locked all three deadbolts.
Collapsed onto the bed.
Pulled out the file.
Opened it.
Stared at Mikhail's records again.
Then, in the back of the folder, tucked between pages—
I found something weird.
A note.
Handwritten.
In shaky letters:
> "Trust no one. Especially not him."
My blood turned to ice.
---
Outside my window, a dark shadow lingered.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
End of Chapter 7.
---